Occupy until I come
Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, Stay busy until I come.
Other translations say; Do business, until I come.
In other words, commit to what has been given to you. Take what you have and put it to work. Keep busy with what I have given you. Grow this money. If you are in business and you are not growing, you have stagnated. It is no different with the church. If we don’t go to the prologue, then we are stuck. You can’t be both.
The Greek word used for occupy is pragmateuomai from GSN4229; deal with, that is, trade:
WE Vines says occupy – “to walk”, is sometimes used of the state in which one is living, or of what a person is devoted to,
When you look at the modern church, you see that it’s busy as a whole, but are they accomplishing what God has given them? Is the church occupying, or is it simply putting itself on its laurels of past glories and waiting for the Lord to return? Is this what He called us to do? Is this what will hasten his return? Jesus said this to the church:
Revelation 3:16 “Therefore, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
The Lord loves us more than we can imagine. I know he didn’t say this to create fear, but as a warning. In the last days, many will depart from the faith. Satan knows his time is short and he is doing everything he can to sabotage the faith of the saints.
Matthew 24:10 “And then many will take offense, betray one another, and hate one another. 11. “Then many false prophets will arise and deceive many. 12. “And because wickedness has multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.
He also went on to say in vs. 24. “Because false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
We are in the last days, but we are also in the best time to be alive from the beginning of creation. No one knows the exact time of His coming, but we can certainly be part of the generation that ushers in His return. Shouldn’t we be minding the Lord’s business?
We are the ones called to a moment like this! Go out and take your God-given place in his kingdom. Do not be afraid. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He wants us to accomplish certain things while we’re here on Earth, but he’s also 100 percent behind us, supporting us all the way.
There will come a day when many will look back with regret and say that he could have done so much more. God gave me all these abilities and talents and anointing, what do I have to show for all of it? I don’t want to be one of those, do you? I have regrets in my life and Satan has tried to keep things on my head. However, I have learned not to look back at my mistakes, but to look forward to what I can still achieve. I have been forgiven and I will carry on! Once again I will say, if God is for me, who can be against me? I will say even like the Apostle Paul:
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I myself do not claim to have apprehended it; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, and reaching out to what lies ahead, 14. I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15. Therefore, all of us who are mature, let us have this mind; and if you think otherwise about anything, even this will God reveal to you.
Repentance can be a powerful tool of the enemy. He loves to hit God’s elect over the head with what they haven’t done and remind them of their past mistakes. He knows that if he can keep them in a state of recollection of their past failures, he won’t have to worry about them in his future. This can become a great stumbling block in the life of a Christian, and many have become stagnant, unable at least in their own mind to move on because of it.
For those of you who have been there and know what I’m talking about, I want to cheer you up. I know what it’s like to be so depressed about my past that I couldn’t make it to the prologue. The Lord is so amazing; He has not forgotten his promises to us. When we repent and turn to Him, He is always there to take us back and restore lost fellowship. I was in this very place at one point in my life. He had been forgiven for my mistakes, but I really thought I couldn’t go any further with my calling. The enemy was right there, over my shoulder, reminding me of my failures. One day while I was in my backyard playing with my bonsai and singing and worshiping the Lord in a low voice, He spoke very sweetly to me and told me this. “I have called you before the foundation of the world.” Along with the words came the revelation, He will not go back on his word to us. Whom He has called, He has called, and that is all. He will absolutely not go back on his promises. Let us as Christians receive this great grace and move into the future with this holy hope and expectation.
Ephesians 1:4 as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love,
1 Peter 1:20 He certainly was predestined from before the foundation of the world, but he manifested himself in these last times for you
Although I knew this was in the Bible, it certainly wasn’t personal to me until that point. These words restored and strengthened me like nothing else could have. These words were spoken not only for me, but as a reminder to any believer who has lost their way, and to all those who are questioning his calling and have lost their ability to move on. He has not forgotten you and he is here to empower you through the Holy Spirit to move forward in his predetermined calling and purpose. We have a purpose, and it’s time to put the past behind us and move on. He is truly an ever present help in a time of need.
Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
He will never go back on His promises. It cannot happen. Come closer with me to the supreme call of God in Christ Jesus.
I shared this to help anyone who couldn’t move on. We can’t be occupants of the earth if we’re stuck in the present because of our past, right? Take this attitude with me, I will go ahead and fulfill the destiny that God has given me. God is for me, who against me? With this attitude we will walk in the victory that has surely been won for us.
My question is this, is the church really busy or are we just doing business as usual?
There are great revivals in the world with millions upon thousands and even millions giving their lives to Jesus Christ, but are we really occupying? I realize that this is not a simple problem, but one that will require the concentrated efforts of Christians across the board. How can we as Christians cross our own man-made lines and begin to act like the body of Christ as a whole and not just a bunch of parts? The barriers have to come down, how are we going to occupy ourselves if we can’t even agree within ourselves. Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
I believe that we, as believers, have indeed inhabited the earth but have not actually occupied it. To occupy is to fully influence all aspects of society as we know it, spiritually, socially and economically. Society should see a dramatic change. This type of change affects not only one generation, but also affects future generations. When the Apostles first preached, people were not only born again, but they changed every aspect of society and culture. If you change a culture, you change the very fabric of the society in which they live. This type of change can have long-lasting effects, not just temporary ones.
Are we as the body of Christ thinking too small? Often we think in terms of getting people into the kingdom and leave it at that. Jesus said as part of the great commission to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20.)
How can we disciple the nations? Changing them positively from the inside out. Other religions have a systematic plan to do just that. However, Christianity has not been doing that to the same extent.
Not all Christians are called to the fivefold ministry, but many are called to be bankers, teachers, lawyers, judges, politicians, etc. Christians must be at the top and spread throughout all areas of society if they are to truly walk in their gifts. There is an anointing that accompanies that call. God-given abilities along with the anointing that is upon God’s chosen people in every area of society can influence that society in such a way as to provide godly direction and influence. Trying to change the direction of a society without Divine change from within will only lead to rebellion within the very society you are trying to influence. You can’t have permanent change trying to force people to swallow laws without also teaching them divine principles. And also in doing so, changing major areas within that society and creating a society where Christian revival will not only occur, but grow and leave lasting and sustained influence and change within that nation. This type of sustained change will endure into the future, and I believe it will be the catalyst that ushers in the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! Instead of turning on our spiritual backs and waiting for the Lord to return, let’s hasten his return. Let’s fill our oil lamps and go take the land.
Many feel that they are not really contributing if they are not preachers or ministers. If God has called you to be an entrepreneur, politician, banker, teacher, etc. then know that there is nothing more important that he could be doing. We all have our God-given place, and it will take all of us working together in every phase of society to bring about the kind of permanent change that can transform a nation.
We need Christians occupying within every area of society. I want to personally challenge you to find your God-given place, and let’s do it together. Amen.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says: “…and whoever comes to me, I will not cast out”. (John 6:37),
So I know you won’t cast me out, but take me in, and I thank you. You said in your Word: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I call on your name, so now I know that you have saved me, you also said: “…that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, because with the heart one believes in justice, but with the mouth one confesses for salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe he rose from the dead for my justification. And I confess it now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “…with the heart one believes in righteousness…” and I believe with my heart, now I have become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21),
And I’m saved! Thank my Lord!
Now I can truly say that I see myself as a born again child of God! Glory to God!!!! Amen.